August 2011 Blog Archives

Unemployment insurance (UI) is a joint venture between the federal government and the states: each state sets its own recipient critera based on federal guidelines.
The federal government collects taxes from employers, which go into a Trust Fund that pays for administrative costs, state loans, and extended benefits. States collect employer taxes too; these fund the first 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.
During long periods of economic downturn, the federal government has two ways to help states with the highest rates of unemployment: the extended unemployment program and emergency unemployment compensation.
The former is funded by the Unemployment Trust Fund. The latter is funded by the US Treasury; therefore, extending it requires Congressional approval.

Back in June, NPP soft-launched a new version of our Federal Priorities Database. After incorporating some feedback, we’re ready for a wider audience.The Federal Priorities Database sits on top of information we’ve collected from various government agencies. It provides a single interface for seeing everything from state emissions to average ...

England certainly seems like a long ways away my friends, both in terms of miles (or kilometers) and humor. And perhaps that’s a good thing considering the onerous prison sentences doled out as a result of the recent London riots. But as many of you on our Facebook page have ...

The White House Office of Public Engagement has scheduled a series of ten state calls (see list and specific invitation below). Note there are two calls today (Wednesday) for folks in California and Colorado and the rest through the end of this week. You are welcome to forward this invitation ...

This is the first our data stories, short pieces to spotlight the role of the Federal Priorities Database in understanding the relationship between social indicators and federal spending programs. This time, we're featuring food stamp participation and unemployment rates.

NOTE: This article originally appeared on TomDispatch.com.The killing of Osama Bin Laden did not put cuts in national security spending on the table, but the debt-ceiling debate finally did. And mild as those projected cuts might have been, last week newly minted Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was already digging ...

In the midst of Congressional debates about debt, budget cuts, and tax increases, a “penny poll” was held in every Maine county asking participants, “How would you like your federal tax dollars spent?” Mainers Larry Dansinger and Lisa Savage were among the leading coordinators of this effort.Education, health care, and ...